Why is it always so much easier for me to shop for plants than it is to put them in the ground? Fall is a wonderful time to divide and plant perennials, and it is even more rewarding when I am getting an end-of-the-season deal on a pot-bound plant.

This year I am going through an “ornamental grass,” and this is a wonderful time of year for them as well. I just bought Stipa (“needle grasses”), Carex (commonly known as “sedge”), Cordyline, and Melinis  (“ruby grass”).  

photos by Nanelle Jones-Sullivan

Procrastination is not new to me and now I prepare for it. I have learned that if I am not going to put new perennials directly in the ground, I can at least put them in one of my self-watering containers. Then, when the time is right (cooler days or rainy weather), I can put them in their “forever home.”

 

It is never too cold to put perennials in around here, although they would benefit from world warm soil If I could get to it early enough.

While it is not an “ornamental grass,” I always make room in my garden for a Cistus. I have had 'VictorReiter' on my wish list since my last one burned in theLNU fire.                                                                                                                 

Starting over.

About 18 months ago, a few months after the fire, I put in a variety of salvias where the garden had burned, and now they are filling in quite nicely. The saying goes “first they sleep, then they creep, then they leap.! Cannot wait till next year! Hopefully there will be more rain and fewer fires.